


starting off the new year right

by ironicbird



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Superboy (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Confessions, M/M, New Year's Eve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28510797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironicbird/pseuds/ironicbird
Summary: Despite the cold, Tim found himself deep in thought about the past year. New Years Eve always tended to make him reflect on things. About the past, about the present, about the future. He had done this ever since he was a child, but it had become much harder since he became Robin. Things changed fast, and he usually had more negatives to reflect on in the past year than positives.“Did you come up here to watch the fireworks, or am I interrupting some brooding?” Tim heard a voice ask from behind him, pulling him out of his ruminations.He turned to see Conner, leaning against the door frame of the entrance to the roof. His hands were buried in the pockets of his jacket and he regarded Tim with a look of amusement.“Can I help you?” Tim asked, with a hint of sarcasm.----------------------New Years Eve Timkon ficlet that I wanted to release on the 31st but then I got sick and had to run out and get COVID tested so it's late lol
Relationships: Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Comments: 3
Kudos: 83





	starting off the new year right

**Author's Note:**

> I had been working on this since Dec 29th or so and I wanted to release for New Years Eve but then I got sick, felt like absolute shit, and had to run out and get COVID tested (still waiting on my results, but I'm already feeling a lot better) so that’s why this is late. Just picture yourself reading this on New Years Eve okay thank you.

It was a cold, windy evening, but Tim found himself seated up on the roof of Titans Tower, looking over the bay. The concrete below him vibrated slightly from the loud music of the New Years Eve party the rest of the team was throwing down below. Tim had been down there for a while earlier, but Rose had gotten rather drunk and tried to make advances at him again, so he had quietly excused himself to have some time to himself. He would head back right before midnight.

For now, he was content with no one but the night sky and the gentle waves on the water. He always felt more comfortable in the nighttime, a remnant from his Robin days. Dwelling in the shadows made him feel at home, although San Francisco had significantly less smog and toxic waste in the air than Gotham.

Despite the cold, Tim found himself deep in thought about the past year. New Years Eve always tended to make him reflect on things. About the past, about the present, about the future. He had done this ever since he was a child, but it had become much harder since he became Robin. Things changed fast, and he usually had more negatives to reflect on in the past year than positives.

“Did you come up here to watch the fireworks, or am I interrupting some brooding?” Tim heard a voice ask from behind him, pulling him out of his ruminations.

He turned to see Conner, leaning against the door frame of the entrance to the roof. His hands were buried in the pockets of his jacket and he regarded Tim with a look of amusement.

“Can I help you?” Tim asked, with a hint of sarcasm.

Conner strolled over and pointed down at the spot on the ground next to Tim, “Is this seat taken?”

Tim shook his head, and Conner took it as an invitation to plop down besides Tim. He then leaned back slightly and rested his hands behind his head. Tim shuffled a bit to the side away from Conner, giving him a bit more room.

“So did you just come up here to smell the non-existent roses or is there another reason why you left the party downstairs?” Conner asked.

“I just wanted some fresh air,” Tim said.

Conner gave Tim a disbelieving side-eye, “Is everything okay?”

Tim sighed and his shoulders crumpled a bit, “Is it that obvious?”

Conner smirked, “To pretty much everyone but me and probably a few of your batty family members, probably not.”

Tim looked down. He never could quite understand how Conner had such an uncanny knack for understanding him. Maybe it was one of his superpowers, or something Cadmus had programmed in, the ability to read Tim like a book.

Tim brought his gaze up to look out over the water, “I’ve just been reminiscing about this year. I mean, at this point last year, I was in a really bad place. You were dead, Bart was dead, Bruce was dead, and I was halfway across the world making deals with international terrorists. Now you’re back, Bart’s back, Bruce is back, and I don’t know...Things should be good now but something is still lingering at the back of my mind that I can’t shake.”

Conner didn’t say anything for a minute, processing Tim’s confession. The waves crashing against the beach below and the dull roar of the party were deafening compared to the quietness of this moment.

“I think...” Conner said hesitantly, breaking the silence, “I think you’re afraid to be happy.”

Tim turned towards Conner, eyes narrowing as an incredulous look took over his face, “What are you talking about? Why would I be afraid of being happy?”

“Because you’ve been happy before, but then you lost everything,” Conner replied, “So you’re scared to be happy because you’re scared that you’ll lose everything again.”

Tim leaned back, laying his hands on the ground and shifting his weight to his arms, “That was surprisingly insightful,” he said.

Conner smiled, “Well, I can’t take all the credit. I’ve been told the same thing about me by other people before, so it wasn’t hard to see the same in you.”

Tim raised an eyebrow, “You? You’ve been afraid to be happy?”

Conner nodded, “Kind of different case, but yeah. I’ve been afraid to be happy.”

Tim was surprised. Conner had always seemed so easy going and driven by his desires. Tim had never gotten the sense that Conner would be afraid to pursue his own happiness, he seemed to go after things that he wanted all the time.

“I’m sorry if I find that hard to believe,” Tim replied.

Conner mirrored Tim’s position, leaning back so that his weight was being held up by his arms, “I don’t talk about it very often.”

“What could make you afraid of being happy?” Tim asked.

Conner looked up at the sky for a moment, staring at the stars, “It’s more like, I’m afraid to try something that would make me happy.”

Tim knitted his eyebrows, “Why?”

Conner sighed, “I’m just scared that’s all. It’s really no big deal.”

“If you say so,” Tim said. He didn’t exactly believe that it was “no big deal,” but he didn’t want to push. If Conner wanted to tell him, then he would.

Neither one of them said anything for a while. Tim leaned all the way back so that his head was directed straight at the sky. The stars twinkled silently above and a cold breeze ruffled his hair. Conner’s gaze remained locked over the water, and based on the look on his face, he seemed to be deep in thought.

“No, you know what?” Conner said suddenly, breaking the few minutes of silence. He turned his head to face Tim, “I want to start the New Year right.”

“Hmm?” Tim hummed questioningly.

“Look, there’s...” Conner hesitated for a moment before continuing, “There’s something that I want to tell you.”

Tim could sense something urgent and serious in Conner’s voice, so he sat back up, “What’s up?” he asked.

“So, I’m going to say something, but I don’t want it to ruin our friendship okay?” Conner said, hesitantly.

“Uh, okay?” Tim replied.

Conner took a breath, “So I wanted to tell y-” Conner suddenly stiffened and trailed off.

“What is it?” Tim asked.

“It’s almost midnight,” Conner replied, “I can hear them counting down inside. We have 49 seconds.”

Damn. Tim didn’t mean to stay out here this long. He meant to go downstairs before midnight. But now, he didn’t want to leave in the middle of what Conner wanted to tell him. It obviously sounded important. Maybe he would finish quickly and they’d make it back downstairs just in time for midnight. Tim began counting down the rest of the seconds in the back of his mind.

48...47...

“Anyways, what I was saying was...” Conner continued, “Oh man, I really don’t know how to say this.”

41...40...

“Look, we’ve known each other for a long time now, and I appreciate our friendship so much,” Conner said, “You’re my best friend.”

“You’re my best friend too,” Tim replied.

35...34...

“I’m going to tell you something, but I just want you to know that if you don’t think the same, er... feel the same, I don’t want it to ruin our friendship,” Conner said nervously.

“Unless you’re secretly doing crime at night, I think we’ll be okay,” Tim replied, “We’ve been through hell and back together. It would take a lot to change that.”

26...25...

“Okay so, um...I like you. As in, more than a friend,” Conner confessed, “But if you don’t like me the same way, that’s fine. I just wanted to start the New Year with that out in the open.”

Tim felt his eyes widen in shock. Of all the things that he was expecting Conner to say, that was not one that he had really considered.

“But I thought you liked girls?” Tim heard himself say. Then he silently cursed himself when he saw the way Conner seemed to crumple at his response.

17...16...

“I do,” Conner said softly, “But I like boys too.”

“Oh,” was the only word Tim was able to breathe out.

“Like I said, I don’t want this to ruin our friendship. Just forget I said anything,” Conner said.

10...9...

“No, no it’s okay,” Tim said.

8...7...

“Just forget it,” Conner said, “It was stupid for me to say anything.”

6...5...

“Conner-” Tim tried to say.

4...3...

Conner interrupted, “No, I’m serious just forget-”

2...1...

Tim surged forward and took Conner’s lips in his own. Conner stiffened for a moment in surprise, but then melted into the kiss.

Around them, the cheers of the city celebrating the New Year echoed, as well as the booming sounds of fireworks. But all of it was nothing but a dull noise in the background compared to this.

Tim brought a hand up to run through the hair on the back of Conner’s head, while Conner brought his hands up to cup Tim’s face. Conner kept sighing into the kiss, and Tim could taste his breath.

When they finally broke apart, Tim could see Conner’s pupils blown wide.

“Woah,” Conner said, gasping.

“Happy New Year,” Tim said, smiling.

“Happy New Year,” Conner replied, grinning back.

Tim turned his head to see some of the fireworks lighting up the sky over the cityscape. Conner followed suit. The two of them sat there for a minute, basking in the moment and watching the fireworks.

“I think,” Tim eventually said, “This year is already looking up.”

**Author's Note:**

> The timeline in this is probably wonky but canon is fake and I do what I want.
> 
> Sorry again that this was late lol. Hope y’all enjoyed!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr or Twitter @scarletbirbs for both (I'm more active on Tumblr)


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